By GARY HOROWITZ | Associated Press
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Cameron Brink had a career-high 23 rebounds and 25 points as No. 4 Stanford claimed the Pac-12 regular-season title with a 67-63 victory over No. 11 Oregon State on Thursday night.
Brink, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, also had four assists and a blocked shot as the Cardinal (25-4, 14-3) beat Oregon State (22-6, 11-6) for the 14th straight time.
Stanford coach Tara VanDerveer won her 1,211th career game. She became the winningest coach in NCAA basketball history on Jan. 21 with a home victory over Oregon State.
The Beavers played without leading scorer and rebounder Raegan Beers, who missed her fourth straight game after suffering a broken nose against UCLA on Feb. 16.
With Beers out, the Beavers turned to Talia von Oelhoffen and Timea Gardiner for most of their offense. Von Oelhoffen scored 27 points, including a bucket in the paint that cut the lead to 64-62 with 1:02 left.
Talana Lepolo made two free throws with 19.9 seconds remaining to give Stanford a 66-62 advantage.
Von Oelhoffen made one of two free throws after drawing Brink’s fifth foul, cutting the lead to 66-63 with 7.2 seconds left.
Kiki Iriafen, who had 13 points and seven rebounds, made the second of two free throws to give the Cardinal a four-point advantage, essentially sealing the win.
Brink had 13 points and 14 rebounds in the first half, helping Stanford take a 35-26 lead at the break.
BIG PICTURE
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Stanford: Cameron Brink and Kiki Iriafen are perhaps the top forward combination in the nation. The Cardinal, which is concluding its final season in the Pac-12 before moving to the ACC, is a lock to be a top-16 seed and host spot for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
Oregon State: The Beavers are 1-3 without Beers in the lineup. Despite Thursday’s loss, Oregon State is in good position to be a top-16 seed and host spot for the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament. The Beavers have five wins over ranked opponents.
UP NEXT
Stanford: At Oregon on Saturday.
Oregon State: Host California on Saturday.